Ramblings of an Emergency Physician in Texas

Interesting Nights

Working nights is different, and nobody can tell me otherwise. The patients are different, the complaints are more interesting, and I get to see multiple applications of alcohol and or drugs.

Last night I had 2 different patients, from 2 different MVA’s, and they both had surprises for me. The first had minimal complaints, said he’d been being treated for bronchitis but didn’t feel better, and his oxygen sats were a little low. Chest xray showed bilateral infiltrates, and he got admitted for pneumonia (for those keeping score at home, came in because of an MVA, admitted for pneumonia).

Patient 2 was a nice young lady in an MVA who hurt everywhere, and was tachycardic. Big workup = hyperthyroidism! (Score: 2 MVA’s that had worse medical problems than their traumatic injuries).

Interesting night.
Please note: patients and their treatment have a right to privacy, therefore, enough facts are shifted to allow anonymity. If this seems silly to you, it doesn’t to me. It is intended to relieve those who read that I’m not giving away any medically identifiable information.